Brian McKenna recounts a high-altitude adventure in his Taylorcraft, where a loose spark plug and an unexpected rancher’s airstrip led to an improvised landing—proof that flying often serves up lessons with a side of humble pie.
I had a 1943 Taylorcraft L2-M that I bought from a rancher from Lusk, Wyoming, north of Torrington (where I live), back in 1977. My dad heard about it and we flew up there and went out to the ranch to take a look. The guy actually had it in an open front shed, with nothing but a rope with some rags hanging off it, to keep the animals out. What kind of animals, you ask? Why, buffalo, of course!